BTS are to boycott the 2027 Grammy Awards in protest at the Recording Academy’s creation of a new Best Asian Pop Music category.
The seven members, in a joint statement on their individual Instagram accounts on Tuesday, said they had decided not to submit their latest album for consideration.
“We have decided not to enter the Grammys this year,” the statement, posted in Korean, said. “We hope music itself can be heard and loved rather than being distinguished by region or language.”
The message, which was not shared on BTS’s official Hybe-managed accounts, ended with thanking fans and everyone who has supported the group.
The announcement comes weeks after the Recording Academy unveiled five new Grammy categories for the 2027 ceremony, including Best Asian Pop Music, which recognises contemporary pop music originating from or widely recognised within Asian markets. Eligible recordings must also feature meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.
The announcement comes weeks after the Recording Academy unveiled five new Grammy categories for the 2027 ceremony, including Best Asian Pop Music, which recognises contemporary pop music originating from or widely recognised within Asian markets. Eligible recordings must also feature meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.
Following BTS’s announcement, Recording Academy chief executive Harvey Mason Jr said he respected the group’s decision but defended the new category. It was created to “celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia”, he said.
The award was intended to expand recognition rather than separate artists, he added. Entries in genre categories remain eligible for the Grammys’ General Field awards, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year, he said.
The category has sparked debate since its introduction, with critics saying it risks separating Asian artists from the major general-field awards rather than increasing representation. BTS’s latest album, Arirang, is predominantly in English.
The group’s decision is notable given its long pursuit of Grammy recognition. BTS has received five Grammy nominations and, since 2019, all seven members have served as Recording Academy voting members. Despite becoming one of the world’s biggest pop acts, the group has never won a Grammy.
The debate over genre and ethnicity-based Grammy categories is not new.
In 2020, rapper Tyler, The Creator criticised the Recording Academy after winning Best Rap Album for IGOR, arguing that black artists are frequently confined to rap and urban categories regardless of the music they create.
“It sucks that whenever we – and I mean guys that look like me – do anything that’s genre-bending … they always put it in a rap or urban category,” he said backstage after the ceremony. He described the nomination as “a backhanded compliment” and questioned why artists like him could not compete in pop categories.
Other musicians, including Frank Ocean and Kanye West, have also criticised the Grammys over what they viewed as racial bias in its awards system.
The Recording Academy has faced similar criticism over its treatment of international artists. While dedicated categories such as Best Latin Pop Album and the Latin Grammys have long recognised Spanish-language music, artists have argued they should not be confined to regional awards when competing on the global stage.
Bad Bunny became the first artist to win Album of the Year with a predominantly Spanish-language album at the 2026 Grammys, a milestone that many viewed as evidence that non-English music can compete alongside English-language releases in the ceremony’s top categories.
The discussion also highlights the limited recognition artists from the Middle East have received. Egyptian jazz pianist and composer Fathy Salama remains the only Arab artist to have won a competitive Grammy Award, receiving Best Contemporary World Music Album in 2004 as part of the album Egypt.
The 69th Grammy Awards are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on February 7, 2027, with nominations set to be announced on November 16.
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